Toilet-paper holder



(No Model.)

0. G. JOHNSON.

I TOILET PAPER'HOLDBB.

No. 328,409. Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

N FILTERS Phowuuw mw. Walhillglon. 11c

CHARLES C. JOHNSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, ASSIGNOR TO MOORE, ARMS 8t THOMPSON,OF BELLOWS FALLS, VERMONT.

TOILET-PAPER HOLDER.

EPECEPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,409, dated October13, 1885.

Application filed July 18, 1885. Serial No. 171,954.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. J OHNSON, of Springfield, in the countyof WVindsor and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Toilet Paper Holders; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this applicarotion.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thatclass of toilet-paper holders and cutters in which a roll or wound webof plain-16. 6., unperforated--paper is used, and has for its mainobjects to provide for use a contrivance of the type mentioned whichshall be simple in its construction and economic of manufacture, andwhich at the same time shall be perfectly efficient for its designedpurposes, and exceedingly convenient to the user of the machine orapparatus.

To these main ends and objects my inven tion consists in the novelfeatures of construction, which will be found hereinafter more 2 5 fullyexplained, and which will be most particularly defined, and pointed outin the claims of this specification.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains tomake and use the 0 same,I will now proceed to more fully describe myimprovements, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, whichform a part of this specification,and in which Ihave shown my inventioncarried out in that form in which 5 I have, so far, successfullypracticed it, and

which is the best now known to me.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side or edge view of one of my improvedpaper holders and cutters mounted or fastened up in a proper position orcondition for use, and having a portion of one of the bracket-arms ofthe metallic stand broken away for the purpose of better showing thecutter. Fig. 2 is a top view of the contrivance. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection at the line 00 a of Fig. 1, with a portion of the roll of paperbroken away in order to bet- 'ter show the shape and position of theserrated cutter and Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1, but with theroll turned around, by pulling on the free end of the web, so as to (N0model.)

bring the cutter into its operative condition.

In the several figures the same part will be found designated by thesame letter of reference.

The moving and working parts of the machine or contrivance are mountedon and supported by a metallic stand composed of a base portion, A, andtwo bracket-like arms, B B, projecting therefrom, as clearly shown. Thebase portion A is adapted to be secured, preferably, by commonwood-screws passing through holes therein,to the wall or other verticalsurface of the apartment wherein the contrivance is to be used, and saidportion A and the armsB B are by preference formed integrally, the wholecomprising any desired design or shape.

0 is the roll or wound web of toilet-paper, which is of about the usualshape and in about the ordinary condition of the hollow cylindricalpaper rolls well known in the market, but wound with a central openingof a rather unusually large size. This roll is provided in the instanceshown with the usual wooden core blocks or plugs, D D, inserted ineither 75 end of its central opening, for the purpose of keeping saidcentral opening in shape, (especially when the roll of paper shall havebeen nearly all used up and the remainder of the wound web therefore inneed of a core to sustain it.)

At either end of the roll 0 are arranged circular metallic plates ordisk-like devices, E E both of which are centrally perforated for theaccommodation of a rod or shaft, F, which is arranged axially of thepaper roll A, and passes through both of said devices E E", the said rodF being formed with a screw-thread at one end, (that engages with athread in the central opening of the plate E2) and with a head, f, atthe other end 0perating,whe11fastened in place, as shown, to clamp theroll 0 endwise within the embrace of the plai es E E, which plates, forthe purpose of embracing the roll endwise with sufficient firmness to 5practically secure the roll to said plates, are made slightly greater indiameter than the diameter of the central opening of the roll 0 and thatof its contained core-blocks or wooden plugs D D. Each of the plates E Eisfnrmed 100 or provided with a short cylindrical pin or stud, g,projecting from its outer face, and these two studs 9 9 enter and turnfreely within holes in the arms B B, (near the outer ends of thelatter,) thus forming the axes by which the roll 0 and its attachmentsare supported, and about which they turn, as will be presentlyexplained. The pins or axes g g are arranged, it will be observed,eccentrically to the axis of the roll 0 and that of the clamping-rod (oraxially-arranged shaft) F, for a purpose to be presently described.

H H are two arms, which project radially (and in the same plane) fromthe disk-like devices E E, and which support by theirouter ends theserrated cutter-bar or knife-bar I in about the position or relationshipto the roll A shown. These arms H H may of course be made eitherintegral with the plates E E or they may be in any other manner rigidlysecured thereto; and the cutter-bar I may be rigidly secured to the armsH H by any suitable means, or may be made integral therewith, if deemedexpedient, the only essential feature of the construction shown being inthis respect the arrangement of the edge of the cutter-bar I in a lineabout parallel to the axis of the .roll of paper and at a short distancefrom the periphery of the roll when the latter contains its fullcomplement of paper.

In connection with the foregoing description of the construction andarrangement, together with the several parts, the following explanation,together with the drawings, will, I think, make clear to those skilledin the art the operation or method of working my improved contrivance:

Supposing the working parts of the machine and the paper roll 0 to be inthe positions shown in all the figures, except Fig. 4, which are thepositions occupied when the machine and its contained roll of paper areat rest,the person desiring to cut off a portion of the paper web simplygrasps the depending free end a of the paper, and pulling thereon,in'somewhat the direction and manner indicated by the dotted line andarrow at Fig. 1, partially rotates the roll of paper, and with it thecutter-bar I, rigidly secured to the plates E E (fastened to the ends ofthe paper-roll,) into about the position shown at Fig. 4, whereby thecutter is brought into contact with the upper surface of the unwoundportion of the paper, as clearly shown, and whereby, also, by reason ofthe eccentricity of the axes g g, on which the roll turns,

a preponderance of the weight of the roll 0 causes the knife I to pressdown on the unwound portion of the web, (the free end of which is stillwithin the grasp of the person,) and operates to force the knife throughthe web and sever it, after which the roll and its attached cutter Icontinue to rotate or turn about the axes of the studs g g, by operationof both the gravity of the parts and the inertia thereof, (after havingbeen set in motion,) until the bar I shall have made somewhat more thana complete revolution around the axes g y, when by gravity the partswill settle back into their original positions. Immediately after theperformance of the cutting operation the end of the paper remaining onthe roll will be carried around in the direction of movement of the rolland the knife, more or less, (according to the suddenness of the pullgiven the paper and the consequent faster or slower motion given to themoving parts;) but by gravity. the free end thus carried around willalmost instantly thereafter drop down into the position shownat Fig. 1,ready for a reuse of the contrivance.

It is preferable in pulling off and cutting off the paper to pull thefree end of the web a little to one side, as well as away from the roll,especially if the person pull slowly on the paper; but, usually, thecutting off and other operations will be effected with certainty nomatter whether the web' be pulled sidewise or not. i

It will be seen that by the use of a knife or cutter, I, arranged torotate always with the roll of paper and arranged and operating so that,.when pulled over into the position seen at Fig. 4, the gravity (as wellas the inertia) of the moving parts will operate to effect the severanceof the paper by the cutter, the severance of the web is effected withcertainty by the use of exceedingly simple and durable devices; and itwill be understood that these desiderata may be gained irrespective ofwhether the action of gravitation made avail able be derived by hangingthe roll eccentrically, as shown, or by hanging it axially, and thenweighting it or the plates E or the shaft F, so as to make the rollassume always a given axis of motion and irrespective of Whether thecutter assume just the position shown or some other whenever the movingparts come to rest. Another advantage arises, however, from the specificconstruction shown, by which .the cutter I, when not at work, assumesalways substantially the position seen, which advantage is that in suchposition the cutter is wholly out of the way of persons passing orstanding near to the contrivance.

By the use of the disks or plates E E and the screw-shaft F,which clampsthem against the ends of the roll of paper, a simple and efficient meansis provided for securing together the roll and the cutter, rigidlyconnected with said disks in such manner that while fresh rolls may beeasily put into the machine, the cutter will always-be forced to turnwhen the roll of paper is pulled round, and will always operate toreceive the strain of the pull on the paper, and thus act with greatpositiveness in performing the cutting operation.

Although the described mode of operation of the revolving roll andrigidly-attached knife may be effected by having the roll arranged torotate on axes concentric with its axial or central opening, and byproviding either one or both of the plates E E or the axial-shaft F withsome sort of eccentricallyarranged Weight, yet I deem the eccentricarrangement of the studs 9 g a specific feature of construc tion,possessing the advantages of simplicity, durability, and economy ofmanufacture.

It will be understood that while I prefer in carrying my invention intopractice to employ all three of the described and hereinafterclaimedparts or features of my invention in one machine, less than all of saiddescribed separate features of novelty may be employed in a paper-holdermachine without the use of the other parts of my invention, and withmore or less advantage. I therefore wish it to be understood that myclaims of invention are designed to cover not only a machine embracingall three of the separate features of improvement made the subject ofthis application, but also a machine embodying any one of saidimprovements.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination,with a suitable supporting stand or frame of meansfor supporting a roll of paper'so that it may be turned round, and aknife or cutter arranged and operating to turn always with the paperroll, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combinatiomwith a suitable supporting stand or frame and acutter-bar, of plates arranged at either end of the roll of paper andhaving the cutter-bar rigidly connected therewith and a shaft, F,whichoperatesto clamp the said plates fast against the end of the roll, allsubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with an ordinary stand or frame and the hollow roll orwound web of paper to be supported thereon, a suitable device forsupporting the hollow roll of paper. arranged concentrically therewith,but pivoted eccent-rically in the stand or frame of the machine andhaving rigidly connected therewith a cutter-bar, I, in such relationshipto the points of pivotal connection between the stand or frame and thedevice for sustaining the hollow roll of paper as to cause the saidcutterbar to be counterbalanced by the eccentricallypivoted roll alwaysat a locality about in rear of the roll of paper, as and for the purposehereinbefore set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of July,1885.

CHARLES C. JOHNSON. In presence of- JEROME W. PIERCE, WM. H. H. SLACK.

